Abstract
Membrane fouling significantly decreases the effectiveness and efficiency of Electrochemical Membrane Bioreactors (eMBRs). Foulants accumulate on membrane surfaces, affecting hydraulic permeability, electrochemical kinetics, microbiological activity, and mass transfer processes, resulting in decreased wastewater treatment performance by eMBRs and lower resource recovery efficiency. Therefore, this review focuses on examining electrochemical and membrane bioreactor technologies for wastewater treatment, with an emphasis on the influence of membrane fouling on eMBRs. The review explores various factors such as current density, electrode materials, and operating conditions, and their effects on treatment efficiency. The integration of electrochemical processes with MBR shows improved removal of organic pollutants, nitrogen, and phosphorus, along with reduced membrane fouling and enhanced operating stability. The study advocates for careful electrode material selection to optimize energy consumption and pollutant removal. Further research is recommended to refine processes, address challenges, and explore resource recovery within eMBRs.